In addition to turkey, dressing, and hours of football, Thanksgiving has also become a popular time for adherents of various denominations and faiths to gather together to give thanks to God.
During these days of gratitude, doctrinal differences are set aside in favor of observing the common wish to express thanks for life's blessings. Two such events have been a long-time tradition in Little Rock. For the past couple of decades, congregations in west Little Rock have been getting together for an annual interfaith Thanksgiving service, alternating the location among participants. This year's event will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the Islamic Center of Little Rock, 3224 Anna St.
Sophia Said, a member of the congregation and a proponent of interfaith dialogue, said the service "is a beautiful example of interfaith unity and harmony."
The hour-long service will include a call to worship by a Muslim imam, a Jewish rabbi and a Christian minister; interfaith prayers; a litany of thanks; sacred text readings by those from different faiths; the singing of hymns; and reflections on thanks by the Multifaith Youth Group. The Rev. Steve Copley, executive director of Interfaith Arkansas, will be the speaker. An offering will be taken to help support Syrian refugees through the Syrian American Medical Society and a reception featuring Middle Eastern food will follow the service. All are welcome.
In addition to the Islamic Center, participating congregations include Asbury United Methodist Church, Christ the King Catholic Church, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Little Rock, Congregation B'nai Israel, St. James United Methodist Church, St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Second Presbyterian Church, Congregation Agudath Achim and Westover Hills Presbyterian Church.
Said said the celebration of Thanksgiving offers time for the congregation to share its gratitude to God with others.
"Thanksgiving is not a Christian or Jewish or Hindu holiday but in fact it is an American tradition that is totally consistent with Islamic principles," she said. "We Muslims are told to develop a quality of 'shukr' in ourselves, which is the [Arabic] word for thanks, and we are to be thankful to Allah for all his unlimited blessings on us."
According to Said, the holiday offers an opportune time to get together with those of other faiths.
"We can come together as one nation and stand united with our common religious teaching of gratitude," she said. "I see this holiday as a unifying time for all Americans, whatever faith tradition they belong to, because we all share the value of giving thanks and we need to celebrate it."
Rabbi Barry Block of Congregation B'nai Israel said he was honored to be the keynote speaker at the gathering last year -- his second year in Arkansas.
"I moved to Little Rock and found this magnificent history of interfaith cooperation," Block said. "I think Thanksgiving is a wonderful occasion for all of us to come together in this way since it's not a holiday particular to any religion. It's an American celebration and one that involves faith and gratitude. We certainly can share our gratitude together as religious Americans."
Block said gratitude is an important trait in Jewish spiritual discipline.
"We know that people who express gratitude are happier, feel more blessed," he said. "We also know that we are not responsible for all of our blessings. It's really not healthy for us to imagine that we are the cause of our good fortune. ... We tend to say that our successes are the result of our own hard work and of our own talents, but those talents are gifts to us. Even our ability to work hard is a gift to us from God, and not to acknowledge that is the height of hubris."
Thanksgiving for Jews is linked to the festival of Sukkot, when their ancestors would celebrate and offer thanks to God for the harvest while recognizing that the bounty was a gift from God.
"Similarly, whatever our bounty is, it's a gift from God and we need to acknowledge it as such," he said.
Block said this year's gathering is especially important in light of the terrorists attacks in Paris.
"We've seen, once again, religiously motivated terrorism strikes the world in a truly horrific way. All too often, as in this case, the perpetrators are radical Islamists who espouse a perverted version of Islam," he said. "While this event was scheduled to take place at the Islamic Center long before the tragic event, it may be particularly significant as we share with our Muslim brothers and sisters at a time when they may feel targeted."
Congregations in the Hillcrest area have also been gathering for 20 years or more to celebrate Thanksgiving together. This year's Hillcrest Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service will be at 7 p.m. Monday at Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, 4823 Woodlawn Drive. In addition to the host church, participating congregations include Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, Pulaski Heights Presbyterian Church, Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church and Pulaski Heights Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
The Rev. Britt Skarda, senior pastor of Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church, said he particularly appreciates the holiday of Thanksgiving and its spirit of gratitude.
"Thanksgiving for me is one of the few holidays not spoiled by commercialism," he said. "It's simply a time to give thanks for all of God's people. It's not specifically Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Baha'i. It's a time to come together and simply give thanks. It's something we can all share together and appreciate our blessings. As Americans, whether we realize it or not, we are incredibly blessed."
This year's service will feature the Rev. Susan Miller, pastor of Pulaski Heights Christian Church, as the speaker. The children's choirs from Our Lady of the Holy Souls Catholic Church and the host church will sing and Louise Allison, director of Partners Against Trafficking Humans, will talk about her organization's mission. Donations will be accepted.
Skarda said the service will include the singing of hymns and prayers; a reception will follow. All are welcome.
"I think we live in a culture where we often don't know our next-door neighbor, much less our parishioners down the street, so it's a great opportunity to meet members of other faith communities, to interact and to focus on what we share rather than what is different about us," he said.
The Rev. Randy Hyde, senior pastor of Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, has been participating in the service since he began serving his congregation almost 20 years ago. He said the service offers an important opportunity to worship with fellow Christians of different denominations and to express gratitude to God.
"Gratitude may be one of the most important components of faith, and when we do that together it makes it more meaningful for us," he said.
Hyde said it's important to express thanks to God.
"We expect our children to be grateful, and we are all children of God," he said. "It shows appreciation for God's grace. A lack of gratitude shows a lack of faith. Even in the worst of times -- and we're living through some pretty tough times -- if you do not express gratitude for the good that is, then you are not prepared to deal with the bad there is."
Religion on 11/21/2015